French company says manufacturing could begin in 2027
Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington, has received approval by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a licence amendment supporting fabrication of fuel with increased uranium enrichments.
The French company said the milestone is a major step towards delivery of fuel with enrichment levels above 5 weight percent (wt%) U-235, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in 2027.
The approval supports Washington’s Advanced Fuel Management programme, which focuses on bringing advanced nuclear fuel technologies to the existing US nuclear fleet.
Nuclear fuel with increased uranium enrichment is increasingly used to improve reactor efficiency, enable longer fuel cycles of up to 24 months and facilitate higher burn-up rates. The shift improves economic performance and supports advanced reactor designs.
“This approval is the next step in bringing fuel solutions with higher enrichment levels to the nuclear energy market”, said Lionel Gaiffe, Framatome’s senior executive vice-president, fuel business unit. “We are getting closer to changing the landscape of the industry by going beyond traditional enrichment levels and bringing economic and value-added solutions to our customers.”
Modifications to the Richland facility have been underway since 2022 to make the physical changes needed to safely manufacture fuel with higher uranium enrichment. An operational readiness review is scheduled with the NRC in early 2027 to confirm that the amended licence requirements have been implemented at the facility. Approval will allow receipt of the higher enriched material for processing at the site for the first reload manufacturing campaign.
